New challenge
Here & Now 14 has ended and Shape of Thought has been taken apart to transport back to the studio.
For some time now I have been pondering how to improve the design, and the obvious conclusion is to replace the brackets with the sturdier, welded construction.
I have even done a welding for sculptors workshop in anticipation of the next challenge.
The next sculpture will be based on the geodesic dome again...I feel that I have just started exploring the structure and I still have a long way to go. Well, at least this time the starting point is a bit further down the path, in comparison to the Shape of Thought.
I need to begin by considering the welded frame first, as that will influence the shape of ceramic triangles.
First, let's look at the geodesic sphere again:
What is not immediately obvious is the angle between the 2 triangles, and that angle complicates my construction. It is a bit clearer on those drawings:
If I decided to make a typical geodesic dome framework (which follows the edge of the triangle lines), using the metal flats instead of rods so that I can attach ceramic pieces to them, I would have to weld ( or bend) each flat to have the angle shown on the lower drawing (left).
Bending would be impossible on the lengths I require, and welding impractical.
On the Shape of thought, if you remember, I have used brackets instead. It looked good, but did not provide any structural strength:
This time, the idea is to use steel flats instead of brackets, welded together into some sort of a net, to which I will be able to bolt ceramic pieces in similar fashion to the work on the photo.
Instead of scanning pages and pages of sketches to illustrate the thinking process, I will present you with the 3 finalists:
Let's see what they look like connected together. Black lines represent steel flats:
Which one is the best for my purpose?
